Stoltenberg Says ‘Too Early’ For Bloc To Decide On F-16 Delivery Amid Ukrainian Impatience

Starting in May the Biden administration began signaling to European allies that it won’t block their export of F-16 jets to Kiev, in what many saw as the next big escalation which could see things spiral toward direct Russia-NATO conflict. But it remains widely understood that it will take a significant amount of time before Ukrainian pilots are actually in Western advanced fighters in the skies of Ukraine, also given training alone will likely take at least a year or more.

At a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, the alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said it’s still too early to put an exact timetable on delivery of F-16s. Yet he still hinted the whole process could be expedited. 

“I welcome the decision by several NATO Allies to provide a training of fighter pilots. This is important and it will enable us to, at a later stage, also make decisions to deliver fourth generation fighter aircraft like, for instance, the F-16s,” he said.

“Exactly when a decision will be taken [to deliver F-16s to Ukraine] it’s too early to say, but the fact that training has started provides us with the option to also decide to deliver planes, and then the pilots will be ready to fly them.”

Stoltenberg’s remarks came on the heels of the Netherlands confirming it is fast moving forward with US-backed plans to establish a training center for Ukrainian pilots in Eastern Europe. Breaking Defense reported Wednesday: 

The Netherlands will begin to train Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet pilots “as soon as possible” as part of a three-step plan backed by the US Department of Defense and has stepped up military aid to Kyiv by way of a new €40 million ($43.3 million) air defense package, set to be announced at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Germany Thursday.

Both the training and spending plans were revealed by Kajsa Ollongren, Dutch minister of defense, in a letter to the country’s House of Representatives today.

But it’s been widely acknowledged that even the language barrier is among key difficulties which must be overcome:

Though no details of air defense equipment to be supplied to Ukraine were shared, the training plan comprises conversion training, followed by language proficiency and initial flight training, and then the establishment of a training center in an unidentified “Eastern NATO member” country.

Likely Poland will be involved, given that Warsaw has long been vocal on sending Western fighter jets to Ukraine. The Netherlands as Europe’s F-16 training coordinator has said initially a “limited number” of pilots will be admitted to the program and that it will expand over time. 

Ukraine has long expressed its impatience over obtaining advanced Western fighter jets. And now Ukraine is reportedly further eyeing dozens of US-made F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets which have been retired by the Australian Royal Air Force, according to the AFP,